In Indonesia, public Muslim prayers are causing angst for people of minority faiths
- People have been gathering to recite the Koran in public spaces across Indonesia since early April, when American-Muslims prayed at New York’s Times Square for the first time
- But the trend is a growing source of friction for Indonesia’s non-Muslims, who have long faced difficulty in obtaining permits for their places of worship, much less praying outdoors
When hundreds of American-Muslims gathered in New York City’s Times Square in April to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Indonesians were watching with jubilation and pride.
Photos and videos of the event – the first time Muslims had prayed at the iconic US intersection – spread like wildfire across social media in Indonesia, where the seeds of a movement appeared to be taking root.
Days later, a man in the central city of Yogyakarta invited people to recite the Koran together at the major thoroughfare of Malioboro, while other mass prayers sprouted up in Bandung, Serang and Pekanbaru cities.
Organiser Narko Abu Fikri said some 1,000 people in Yogyakarta showed up. “Praying is a positive activity, people should support this and they did,” he said. “I saw several passers-by shed tears of joy at seeing us recite holy verses.”
In the Sumatran city of Pekanbaru, Diana Sabrani’s event drew thousands of believers, including government officials. “We will see to it that our movement of mass prayers will take place in more and more cities in the country,” Diana told reporters.